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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Ill Meaning, Examples, and Usage in English (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：sick (ill)

ill 🔊

/ɪl/

adj.

Not feeling well in your body; having a sickness or disease.

sick 🔊

➕

/sɪk/

adj.

Feeling physically unwell, often due to a disease or infection.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old Norse 'illr' (bad, evil); related to Old English 'yfel' (evil).

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'ill' = 'I'm low' (both start I-L). Rhyme: 'ill' like 'pill' for being sick.

📖 Example

He called in to work because he was feeling ill with a bad cold. 🔊 He called in to work because he was feeling ill with a bad cold.

🔗 Collocations

ill health – A state of poor physical condition

ill patient – A person who is sick

feel ill – To experience physical discomfort or sickness

🔄 Synonyms

sick (adj.) – Affected by physical or mental illness

unwell (adj.) – Not in good health

ailing (adj.) – In poor health, often over a period

🚫 Antonyms

healthy (adj.) – In good physical or mental condition

well (adj.) – In good health

fit (adj.) – In good physical shape

🌱 Derivatives

illness (n.) – The state of being ill

ill (adv.) – In a bad or harmful way

ill (n.) – Evil or harm

📖 Cultural Story

In medieval English, 'ill' was used for both physical sickness and moral evil. It appears in idioms like 'ill-gotten gains' and 'ill will', reflecting its dual nature. The word's root in Old Norse 'illr' influenced its negative connotation across contexts.

Meaning 2：harmful (ill)

ill 🔊

/ɪl/

adj.

Bad or harmful, often in a moral sense, leading to negative results.

Ill weather scene with dark stormy sky and rain

harmful 🔊

➕

/ˈhɑːrmfəl/

adj.

Causing harm or damage, especially in a moral or ethical context.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The new policy had many ill effects on small businesses in the community. 🔊 The new policy had many ill effects on small businesses in the community.

🔗 Collocations

ill effects – Harmful consequences

ill will – Hostile or unfriendly feelings

ill fortune – Bad luck

🔄 Synonyms

bad (adj.) – Of poor quality or a low standard; not good

harmful (adj.) – Causing or likely to cause harm

detrimental (adj.) – Tending to cause harm

🚫 Antonyms

good (adj.) – Morally right; virtuous

beneficial (adj.) – Favorable or advantageous; resulting in good

advantageous (adj.) – Providing a benefit or gain

🌱 Derivatives

ill-will (n.) – Hostility or enmity

ill-fated (adj.) – Destined to have bad luck

ill-gotten (adj.) – Obtained in an unlawful or dishonest way